Hello Movie Maniacs
An absurd concept is often treated as just an absurdity. People who watch a movie based on such a concept are often seen mocking the concept as something idiotic. But the fact remains that an absurd concept if done right has a far greater potential to entertain and lead the audiences bewildered then any run of the mill story.
The later installments of “The fast and the furious” series are evidence which support the above statement. Choose or Die is one such absurd concept which could have been wonderful if the treatment were right.
Plot
The basic premise of this movie is about a retro video game which has the ability to control the life of its player and force the player to play till the end without quitting.
The story is about a college student Kayla (Lola Evans) who finds an old video game at his friend Issac’s (Asa Butterfield) house. The game comes with the phone number offering a $125,000 prize and driven by her financial needs, Kayla decides to play it. To her horror she soon finds that the game is like a curse which starts affecting the lives of those around her in a negative way.
Story
The story packs a lot of gore and horror elements but somehow none of them succeed in making you jump out of a seat. The mystery behind the game has an extremely absurd logic but that has not been presented with clarity. The climax in itself is very lacklustre and leaves a sense of dissatisfaction. The good thing is that the ending has been kept open with scope for future sequels.
Performances
Like in any horror movie the scope for acting is extremely limited but the lead actress has done a fairly decent job. The rest of the actors did not have much to offer. Eddie Marsan as the final boss of the game steals the show in an otherwise dull final act and Asa Butterfield as the loyal friend looks stuck on the sets of Sex Education.
Final Verdict
Choose or die has been made on a minimal budget which kind of binds the director from creating a truly horrifying visual spectacle. It is an absurd concept which had a lot of potential but gives an underwhelming output at the end. Still, it is a fairly decent watch and with the potential of future sequels, we can still hope for this absurdity to be given justice.
